Rachel Antonoff is a stellar fashion designer with a creative background in the performing arts. Antonoff designs beautiful clothing with a sweet, retro vibe that is both distinctly feminine and bold. She currently lives in Brooklyn Heights with her adopted dog, and is set to debut a new short film with friend Lena Dunham to showcase her brand collaboration with & Other Stories, which hits stores May 12th.
I recently caught up with Rachel to discuss her favorite Brooklyn bars and restaurants, French food, and her unique way of showcasing her collections.
With a new line due out in about 2 weeks, you clearly have a lot to celebrate. What’s your ideal celebratory situation?
My ideal celebratory situation is really great wine with my best friends in some sort of vacation-type restaurant.
What’s your go-to drink of choice?
I really like rosé or a dry white.
Who doesn’t love rosé! And with it being rosé season, I’m sure you’re ordering it often. Rosé seems to have this really fun vibe that everyone is currently embracing; it’s actually a similar vibe to many of the videos you’ve made showcasing your collections. How do you come up with the scenarios and the choreography? You do have a theater background, right?
Thanks! Yes, I do have a theatre background and it’s so fun for me to get to showcase each season in a semi-theatrical way. The videos and shows are really the one opportunity we get to show people the world we see the collection living in.
Very cool. When the collection comes out on May 12th, what wine do you plan on popping?
I’m not sure. I’m still learning about what kind of wine I like. It’s weird, because I know exactly what I like and don’t like in terms of taste but I know so little about wine, so I’d like to learn more! I guess that’s what VinePair is for!
Very true, that’s one of the site’s missions, helping all of us drink better wine. Since you live in Brooklyn what are some of your favorite bars and restaurants in the city that readers should check out?
In Brooklyn, I love Noodle Pudding. It’s a real staple. Petite Crevette is also amazing and such a cute place. In Manhattan, I love Monkey Bar and Bemelman’s Bar for a fancier night, and Johnny’s Bar on W. 12th is a classic.
If you aren’t heading to one of these places, what’s your favorite cuisine when it comes to finding a restaurant with great food and great wine?
Has to be French food and white wine. It’s the best combination!
You have me craving a Sauvignon Blanc with an array of French cheeses! Finally, a question that has recently been pretty polarizing with other guests, are you a bruncher or a brunch-hater? Is this the cure to a hangover? If not, what is?
Definitely not a hater, but don’t know if I identify as a bruncher either. I usually just think of brunch as late breakfast! I’m a big fan of pancakes personally, hangover or otherwise!
